Colin Belzer, deputy city manager, and Melissa Dixon, director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, provided updates on city operations, public-works projects and upcoming community events.

Belzer reported that the service division repaired the intersection at 20 Second and MacArthur and addressed water-leak repairs at 18th and 20th; staff repaired curb, gutter and ADA ramps at 17th and Millner. He said the chip-and-seal maintenance program is largely complete, with pavement marking to follow and that 30 Third Street reconstruction finished roughly three months ahead of schedule. Equipment for the East H Street lift station replacement has started to arrive; the work was described as mobilizing this week with a potential completion window to the end of the year but possibly sooner.

Parks staff treated hundreds of trees for bagworms, repaired playground equipment and made parking-lot repairs at the golf course ahead of chip-and-seal work. Airport staff placed rock along the terminal parking lot fence line to reduce erosion and wildlife hazards.

Melissa Dixon outlined a schedule of public events and tourism activity: the Sternberg Museum summer exhibit (animal armor) runs through September; an interactive "A Place to Call Home" exhibit is on loan at the Ellis County Historical Society Museum; downtown markets and the Hays Fresh Produce Market run on Saturdays; the annual Duck Derby (Big Brothers Big Sisters) will be at the Aquatic Park on August 6; concerts at the Fox Theater and Fort Hays State University events were previewed; and the Convention and Visitors Bureau launched a redesigned visithays.com site to improve user experience.

Commissioners thanked staff for the street and project work and praised CVB efforts on events and visitor services.

Ending: Staff will continue scheduled construction, maintenance and event-support activities; no formal actions were taken on these informational items.